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Straight Outta Compton? Or Straight Outta Gratefulness? Back in 2012, I went on a trip that put my life in danger. Who would have guessed that I would be going to Compton, California, one of America’s most dangerous cities, for a mission trip. My experiences and interactions there changed my view on life completely. The trip to Compton changed my lifestyle actions and made me realize what life in poverty is like and how grateful I should be to have the life I have. On July 17, 2012 I woke up to my alarm buzzing letting me know today is the day I go to Compton, California for a mission trip. I was full of emotions because it was my first mission trip, my first time away from my parents, but I was also going to one of America’s most dangerous cities. I went to church to meet up with the other students, and eventually we were off to …show more content…
Each morning of the trip I stepped onto the worksite where we were repainting and cleaning a pink colored house. I was assigned to work on cleaning out the backyard. When I walked back there, I saw not a neat and manicured lawn like the ones back home in Oostburg, Wisconsin, but a small, yellow, dry, and patchy yard littered with garbage. There was everything ranging from old McDonalds bags to molded wood crawling with spiders that can make a grown man scream like a girl. Once we finished cleaning the yard, our group helped with painting. Throughout the workdays I saw the progression of the house turn from a faded pink to a new light tan. Once the whole house was tan with no pink in sight, the owner of the home came out. She was overwhelmed with joy and gratefulness because of the work we did for her house. She said how her ninety-year-old mother was struggling with depression because her son had just died a couple weeks ago. Watching us teenagers work together and have fun made her so much
It was back in the summer of 2004 when all was calm. The trees filled w/ dry green leaves, the grass barely green as patches of yellowness overcame its dried burned look, dandelions arose in monstrous amounts as the white cotton-like blooms of a dandelion flutter in the midst of an arid breeze, and visions of heat waves could clearly be noticed along a paved street on a clear afternoon. Yep, this truly was mid summer. But I do prefer summer over winter any day of the year. Around the hottest time of the year, a.k.a. middle of July, my church travels on a mission trip over to the Appalachia Mountains to help people in poverty rebuild their homes. I, among 14 other youths and leaders enjoy this yearly mission trip. Only to leave one week after my birthday the ASP (Appalachia Service Project) crew fled the town of Glen Ellyn and headed east towards the mountainous Appalachia Mountains. The mission had not only been to help people in distress but to also give an insight on personal faith, life, love, friendship, and a better understanding on why we are really here and why we have chosen to come here, as certain personality traits that we possess are revealed throughout the trip. I do remember last year's trip very clearly, and we've had just a few major dilemmas, but this year just clearly out does last year in every way, shape and form.
In the thumb of Michigan there sits a very small town with about 1,000 residents. This town is the typical thing you would picture, it’s just like the movies where you drive down the main street and you see someone you know, they’ll wave and yell hi. The name of this town is Brown City and it is the place that I call home. If you were to drive down M-53 at some point you might see a sign pointing you towards Brown City. Once you turned onto M-90 you’ll start going by some of our residents homes. As you drive down this road you’ll see fields of crops on both of your sides and will probably encounter a large tractor or combine. You’ll see Mrs. Rayba, the music teachers, house where she has large drums filled with flowers sitting near her front porch. Go down this bumpy road more and you’ll see the sign that welcomes you to our tiny town, “Welcome to Brown City, Home of the Motorhome”. Across from
Where is A Mission? The thought had always lingered inside of my head, aimlessly suspended like a climber stuck in an awkward position. Debating whether to reach for the next gap or to give out and abandon the idea. I had always dreamed of going on a mission trip, unfortunately my actions didn’t concede to the idea as easily as I imagined. Each time I was given the opportunity to go, I would push it back further and further by using a different excuse to cover my hesitation.
We headed into town to explore some more. We ate some very good tacos until we got full. After that, we ran into a man trying to make money and in his hand, he had a machine with a metal rod attached to it. The whole point of it is that you pay him and he electrocutes you. I have no idea why people would pay for that, but my family did. So the man hands the metal rod to my brother and then the rest of us held hands with the person next to us, the man then turns on the machine and turns up the volts. Everyone 's reaction so super funny because some of them weren 't ready. After everyone received shock therapy, we ran into a little boy that was selling sea animals he had caught in a bucket. He had starfish, Spiny Sea Urchins, and some other animals. I asked him his age because he looked so young. He responded in Spanish that he was seven years old. I asked him if he was alone and he answered that his dad was catching fish and that he needed to make money for his family, so they can buy food. This broke my heart because he was only a child, and children shouldn 't worry about, not having enough money to eat. I handed him some money, hoping to make his day, he smiled and said "gracias" which means thank you. This small interaction made me realize how many things I take for granted every day. After spending some more time in the city, we went back to the homes and ended our
I hope you are doing well! I am about to start my second semester at Southwest Baptist University and I'm loving every second of it. I'm so lucky that I get to play volleyball while getting an education. I am working on a business major so that one day I can run my own boutique. This coming spring I will get the chance to travel through SBU to Honduras for a mission trip and I am super excited. What makes it more exciting is that I get to go with some of my volleyball teammates and my dad. This will be my first missions trip and I am so blessed to have the time and opportunity this year!
7am. That was the time I arrived at the parking lot of the First Presbyterian Church in Woodbridge, New Jersey. I was heading to Montreat, North Carolina with twelve other kids to attend my first Montreat Youth Conference, focused on strengthening and shaping youth’s faith. I’ve heard great stories of what a week in the black mountain area of North Carolina entailed, however, in hearing the greatness and multitude of them I wanted stories of my own. I’ve heard that this trip was supposed to be life changing, and that Montreat was a “thin place between heaven and earth,” but I wasn’t really sure what any of that meant before actually going on the trip. But after a twelve-hour drive, a week there, and another twelve-hour drive back, I surprisingly found myself in a spiritual sense, and actively strove towards creating a newfound relationship with God.
On Feb 23, 2016 I left for the airport to catch a plane to Toronto. From Toronto I flew to Panama City, then to Santa Cruz, and then finally to Cochabamba. I was going to be in Cochabamba, Bolivia for almost two weeks on a missions trip with twenty- some other people. Some of the people were from my church, some were from another church, and the rest were from NBBI. Our group was going down to Bolivia to work with a Bolivian couple, Jamie and Sandra, and their two daughters, Kendra and Cassandra. We were going to be working in the poorest section of Cochabamba, the brick yards. Our goal was to build a 90 foot brick wall and to install a running bath and shower house.
WHen looking back on one’s life it can be hard to pinpoint instances that changed who you are as a person. However for me it is quite easy. Some of the happiest and most influential points of my life were during any of my four mission trips. Alongside members from my Methodist church I had the privilege of traveling beyond the comfort of my home to serve others much more in need than myself. One of these missions in particular had a huge impact on me, shaping my character and altering the way I view the world around me.
During this time, I played soccer with kids my age and taught many of them the American version of football. I observed many of the kids running barefoot on bare ground, full of rocks and jagged objects, which I knew could easily cause infection. They did not own a pair of shoes and could do nothing about their situation since they lacked means to do so. Experiences from this trip were eye openers and I had to ask myself; what was I doing to help change situations like these? Although I was not suffering where I lived, I was no longer ignorant to the difficulties faced by many around me. It was then I realized a purpose in my life would be to make an effort to help those in
At first, I believed I wouldn’t be able to go to Mexico to teach a vacation bible school. An act of God created a last-minute opening and began an opportunity that I believe has shaped me most. The first year of the mission trip taught me the life changing importance of stepping out of my comfort zone. My freshman year I connected with people from all over the country and a small region of Mexico. This amazing opportunity also created memories and perspectives that will never fade. A year passed, and this time a whole new person faced this mission trip with excitement and pride. I, Morgan Stockman, am blessed with the opportunity of going from eastern Iowa to Mexico, bringing love and guidance towards God to small children without speaking
On Sunday evening, I was supposed to fly to Lexington, Kentucky. However, the flight oversold, and we had no back up plan for how I was going to get to Mission Trip. Then my mom quickly searched flights, and we decided we would fly to Atlanta, and drive overnight in order to get me there in time. So we ran from the American terminal across the airport to the Delta terminal, scheduled a rental car, and prayed everything would work out. Luckily, it did. We got first class to Atlanta, and hopped in a cute little Ford C-Max, and drove 7 hours to Chavies, Kentucky.
Mother Teresa said “let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.” Many times in life the only way we can extend love to others is through a smile and an embrace. A great example of those times is on a mission trip to a place that speaks a different language. I have experienced just how true this is firsthand. This trip truly changed my life, completely affecting my outlook on my daily life as well as the “big picture” plan for my life. I now appreciate things I once took for granted, luxuries that we have come to expect in our sheltered lives that we live here in America. In my life, I have never experienced extreme poverty for myself, but this trip gave me just a glimpse into what life is like for those who are not so pampered as our country.
One week this summer I was able to live in a completely different world than the privileged one I had been living in all my life. This summer Memorial Road Church of Christ took me to Honduras on a mission trip where other students my age would be serving the people and church there, rebuilding houses smaller than my room for whole families to live in. The mission trip allowed me to learn a lot about the people of Honduras and myself. It was put into perspective for me how blessed I am and how much I take for granted and how much I think I deserve, while people are much happier than me with much less than I have. The trip forced me out of my comfort zone, which was challenging, but I always felt like a stronger person after finishing something I did not want to. No matter how uncomfortable I got, serving the people in Honduras who really needed it was fulfilling, and the impact that it had on me was greater than anything I had ever experienced before. One trip to a disabled children’s orphanage allowed me to appreciate my
For my senior year trip, I went to LA to serve the homeless. We worked with an organization called the Dream Center. The Dream Center is an organization that supplies the homeless with food, shelter, and any necessities they possibly need. The trip was a long seven days and my feelings weren’t positive. I knew I wasn’t going to be comfortable with what I was going to be doing the trip. One of my challenges for this trip was to impact someone’s life and bring them happiness I knew I was going to hate everything about this trip. But before I left for the trip I asked God to help me on this trip to impact someone’s life. When I arrived in LA the environment was very different, something I have not witnessed or lived in. A big part of my trip was a place called Skid row. Skidrow is a
People’s lives are changed every day by their actions and experiences. This past summer, I participated in a community service project, an experience that opened my eyes in many ways. I was a volunteer at the County Memorial Hospital. In my time as a volunteer at the hospital, I was able to meet patients and staff members from all over the world and learn about their life experiences. Listening to all of their stories has made me truly appreciate everything which I have.